When Temptation Knocks on Your Hotel Door

When Temptation Knocks on Your Hotel Door

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My mother-in-law is always a fun-loving woman, but put her on a dance floor on vacation, and she really has a good time! Once a friend asked her if she was worried what others thought and she replied, “It doesn’t embarrass me. I’m not from around here! I have an out-of-town attitude!”

Having an out-of-town attitude can lead to behavior that’s harmless, like dancing like it’s 1999 on a ski trip with friends, or singing karaoke on a family cruise vacation. But there can also be negative implications to an out-of-town attitude. It can be tempting to believe that when no one we know can see us, our behavior doesn’t count.

We all regularly engage in behaviors we wish we didn’t want to engage in, so take comfort in the fact that you aren’t alone in your struggle.

A common time for this temptation to creep in is on work trips, when you may find yourself drawn to do things you wouldn’t otherwise do. Whether it’s staying up too late, having too many drinks with a colleague, binging on room service, or watching an “adult film,” temptation is easier to give in to when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. While it’s easy to think that men are the only ones who struggle with inappropriate sexual behavior, an article in Psychology Today states that “10 to 25 percent of heterosexual married women will have an affair during their lifetime” and, often, that behavior is linked to relationships that start in the workplace.